Week 7 Fantasy Football Start' Em, Sit 'Em: Chris Olave vs. A.J. Brown

Chris Olave’s steady target share meets A.J. Brown’s big-play potential in a Week 7 fantasy football showdown that could swing matchups across the board.

Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver AJ. Brown (11) against the Los Angeles Rams at Lincoln Financial Field. | Eric Hartline-Imagn Images

In the early Week 7 projections, I have Chris Olave and AJ Brown ranked ninth and tenth in fantasy points in PPR formats. One player brings a consistency factor, while the other has been more bust than boom over his first six games.

Chris Olave Producing At a Steady Pace

Over his early career, I have not been in Olave’s fantasy camp due to the poor quarterback play in New Orleans and his battles with concussions in 2024. He set a high floor in catches and receiving yards over his first two seasons (72/1,042/4 and 87/1,123/5), leading to him averaging 13.85 fantasy points over 31 games. After a down third season (32/400/1 over 44 games), the Saints have worked Olave close to the line of scrimmage (8.8 yards per catch – 13.4 over his first three seasons), leading to six double-digit fantasy days (12.40, 6/54, 10/57, 3/20/1, 7/59, and 6/98) while averaging 10.5 targets. 

New Orleans Saints wide receiver Chris Olave (12) at Caesars Superdome. | Matthew Hinton-Imagn Images

The Bears have played better than expected against wide receivers (7th in fantasy points allowed), considering they lost their top CB, Jaylon Johnson, after only being on the field for 20 plays in Week 2. The Lions’ wideouts beat their secondary for 13 catches for 266 yards and four touchdowns, highlighted by games from Amon-Ra St. Brown (9/115/3) and Jameson Williams (2/108/1). Chicago held all the Vikings, Raiders, and Commanders receivers to fewer than 50 yards despite giving up three touchdowns.

Shawn Childs

A.J. Brown: Show Me the Money

Six games into 2025, Brown ranks 38th in wide receiving scoring (58.40), just behind Keon Coleman (58.70), who received his Yahoo walking papers this week. The Eagles have tried to get him the ball over his last five matchups (8, 10, 9, 8, and 9 targets), but he caught only 54.5% of his chances (65.3% over his first three years with the Eagles) while gaining only 11.0 yards per catch (15.8 before this year). Last week, Brown (6/80 on nine targets) appeared to turn the corner in his downfield value.

Philadelphia threw the ball much more over the last two weeks (71 passes – Jalen Hurts averaged 24.1 passes in 2024), resulting in two productive games in completions (23 and 24) and passing yards (280 and 283). Game score was a factor last week. 

The Vikings lead the wide receivers defense (37/483/2 on 63 targets). They’ve faced Chicago (14/144/1), Atlanta (5/69), Cincinnati (6/65), Pittsburgh (7/139/1), and Cleveland (5/66), which spells a favorable wide receiver schedule. In addition, Minnesota has faced only 138 pass attempts (27.6 per game), which is well below last season (32.2). DK Metcalf (5/126/1 on five targets) exploited some of their weaknesses in coverage vs. big physical wideouts.

Conclusion: Chris Olave vs. A.J. Brown

I expect the Saints to move the ball better than expected against Chicago, giving Olave a chance at his best game of the season. With that said, his ceiling is lower than Brown's in all offensive facets except potentially targets. I don’t want to miss out on a 30.00+ fantasy day by the Eagles’ top wide receiver, so he’s my guy in this lineup decision. I’ve already entered DFS lineups featuring Olave, which shows confidence in my projections for him.

Start Brown in season-long formats, but Olave is your guy in the DFS market.